Thank You Edward Snowden, They Are Now On Their Knees, Begging...Well Done.

[Pholus]

59. So where is this going?

Behind this article is a strong hint that these perverted little trolls actually live down an even deeper, dark and twisted little hole than we even know.

This summer, it wasn't too hard to piece together the core situation from the non-denial denials, the doublespeak and just comparing the capabilities of existing computer hardware to the size of the data handling problem. And despite all the vicious criticism directed at them it turns out that the tinfoil hatters pretty much had the NSA's number.

But what could be worse that the NSA still wants to hide?

I think Greenwald has been publishing in a logical order here.

Part I: Describe the capabilities of the system to set up for....
Part II: A description of how the system HAS been used.

The utility of the system, it's successes and failures (Part II), have largely not been discussed. NSA talked late summer about "fifty four" terror plots being disrupted though that number seems to not stand up to scrutiny. But I've seen nothing else.

But if the system is such a turkey, why fight soooooo hard for it? I figure it's because 9/11 was an excuse to build a system that had lots of NON-terrorism applications and those are the ones we actually wanted.

I see two broad classes of scandals that might be the topic for stories in Part II:

First off, potential stories that would hurt the US internationally:

1) The surveillance has been used to manipulate the markets for US gain.

2) The surveillance has been used to suppress dissent through blackmail
either for US interests or as a payoff in return for favors.

3) The surveillance has been used to manipulate elections
for the benefit of US friendly interests.

4) The surveillance has been used to manipulate diplomacy where
the US has not been a direct party.

Those things would not seem to be huge scandals domestically though,
because we expect these things to be done in our name.

However, I bet it would piss a lot of Americans off if it came out that this had been used domestically:

1) The surveillance has been used to give unfair advantages to
one US company over another.

2) Domestic dissent has been suppressed through blackmail.

3) US politicians have been manipulated through information from this program.

4) US elections have been predicted or influenced.

5) The personal abuses of the system are much larger than
have already been revealed?

6) It has been used to influence the outcome of trials in the legal system.

I freely admit I know nothing other than what I read online, and I am certainly glad I do not, so I can just pop some popcorn and wait to see what the 2014 TV season brings...